Method To The Madness

By O’meekey O. Ovienmhada

Respect. A Thumbs up, and a Bow.

These are not words one could have attributed to El Presidente two weeks ago, but it appears he has earned it by an unusual combination of actions.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a character who goes by the name Polonius said:

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.”

Polonius was speaking about Hamlet’s erratic behavior.

Since the return of the president, we have seen a sometimes wiser, more aggressive, and sometimes, power grabbing president pushing the boundaries of the principle of Separation of Powers—one of the big planks on which rests the entire notion of Western democracy.

In all the madness, amidst the government shutdown; In all the fear amidst the ongoing, brutal immigration crackdown;
In all the deployments of the Army into Democratic States;
In all the uncertainty of tariffs and rising inflation; —-add to that, the selective prosecution of his enemies, James Comey and Letitia James—-oh wow—- two Jameses, (there must be something about James and Trump that forms a bad chemical reaction in the lab)—-in all of the madness, and confusion, a ceasefire engineered by DJT actually comes to fruition.
Indeed, “this is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

This is the way a friend described everything I just tried to express above: “It is the same energy that powers his victories that feeds his flaws.”

As I am glued to the television, watching Gazans trekking up North, I am in tears as I am reminded of the horrors we saw as kids when we returned to Benin City after Biafra was driven out of the Midwest. The Civil War in Nigeria had taken a terrible turn as Igbo civilians were hunted down like animals and killed post Biafran occupation. We scrubbed out caked-up blood from our classrooms. It’s an image that’s forever etched in my memory. Every time I think of it, I ask myself this question—do we owe the Igbos an apology? If I were governor, I would offer one, and also offer some kind of reparation to their heirs.

As I watch Gazans rejoice, as I watch them embark on the long trek, as I hold back tears, I am reminded of a story told to me by a friend. His father was a Civil Servant serving in Northern Nigeria when the war broke out. His father was offered a helicopter ride out of the North, but his children had to travel in overcrowded trains bound for the Eastern Region. He saw with his eyes as Northerners raided these trains, hacking down their former neighbors.

Sadly, that is the nature of war.

Gaza has been difficult to watch on television. Very difficult. A once beloved Israel fell into an age-old Edo parable of the thief and the mob.

A thief had stolen a goat. He was caught as he tried to make away with it. He was tied to a tree and flogged. The village people were on their way to their farms. They cursed the thief, and hailed the mob as they beat the thief. By evening, on their way back from the farm, the thief was still tied to the tree and still being flogged. The people turned against the mob. “What is it,?” they said. “Was it not just a goat that he stole?” They continued,— “let him go. It is enough.”

October 7th was bad. Gaza has been horrendous.

Israel may have succeeded in decimating Hamas, but even then, Israel lost the public relations war.

Whatever views anyone holds on one side or the other, everyone must welcome the cessation of hostilities. Gazans are heading home to try to rebuild if at all, there’s anything to rebuild.
Hostages have been united with their families.
Well over 2,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released.
Many did not make it.

One thing is certain.
Trump is a man who puts his money where his heart is. He will pump money into the rebuilding of Gaza. The man knows how to build. The people of Gaza, and the people of Israel would be wise never to vote for extremism whenever they get the chance to vote again.

What remains now is for us to see what happens in the next few weeks. Can Hamas really be expected to lay down their arms and give up their authority in Gaza?

Reports have it that they are already asserting their power in areas that the Israeli army has quit. Are the locals able to resist them? How soon can the international force comprised of Arab States move in to fill the vacuum in order to avoid a Civil War?

A 2-State solution is possible if the voters on both sides stop voting for extremism.

All hail King DJT!

WAR AND PEACE

As everything was unfolding in Gaza, one could only imagine what was going on in the minds of the committee at the Nobel Foundation.
Let’s look at an imaginary conversation.

Nobel 1: (His hand on his chin). Gentlemen, the world is moving faster than we can deliberate in this room.
Nobel 2: (He chuckles). I know the matter to which you refer. Don’t even go there. His country is at war within, and he’s trying to put out a fire abroad. What did they teach us in elementary school?
Nobel 3. (Casts a glance first at Nobel One, and then, turns to Nobel Two).
If only there was no January 6th. If only there were no retributions against enemies. If only there were no 34 convictions. I wish it were possible to overlook those things. We, as the committee owe a responsibility to the world. We may not have a crystal ball to see the future but we certainly know the past. It is documented history.

Nobel One: I think, by the future, you mean what happened in Myanmar after Peace winner Au Sang Suu Kyi took power and watched as people were being slaughtered for belonging to a particular religion. That put a stain on the Nobel. It was a bad stretch for the foundation.

Nobel Two: I’m glad to be sitting in a room with eminent men and great minds. This candidate undermines his own achievements with his own hands. He tweets everyday. I wish someone would just take his phone from him. Can’t his wife seize that phone? The prize must go elsewhere.

Interpretation: What the Nobel is saying is this: The Nobel journey requires a lifetime of preparation. They will not accept 79 years of hubris and take one weekend of great achievement.

The hammer falls.

Life can be an irony sometimes. You reap what you sow.

But again, his achievement in brokering peace is monumental. If we were to go by biblical standards, this one achievement ought to be enough to wipe away everything else.

If he puts that phone away and tries for Ukraine and the Congo, and the Sudan, the entire world would just have to trumpet for Trump to get the Nobel Prize for Peace next year.

HUNGER IN AMERICA.

There’s troubling data emerging from America. More and more people are going to GoFundme to crowdfund for groceries. That is not a good sign. Thinkers need to huddle and begin to think of a way out of hunger in America. It’s a deadly combination when you are hungry and you also have a gun.

YET ANOTHER ARGENTINA BAILOUT.

Has anyone ever wondered why Argentina is the only South American country where they do not have a significant black population?

Brazil next door has 55% black population. Argentina has 0.66% Black. They are next door neighbors. Did they not have a slave population?
Were they systematically expelled?
Were they killed off?
Were they forced into interracial marriages to make the population whiter?
Just wondering.

Only last week, Argentina was in the news again for a $20B bailout. The country of 45 million people has defaulted on its loan 9 times, and it has been bailed out 21 times.

Contrast that with Nigeria.
It will interest readers to know that Nigeria has never taken a full IMF loan. We have had arrangements with them for restructuring to hold off creditors, but that is not the same thing as a bailout. What does that tell you about the nature of our country? I guess, as the people go, so, goes the country for the most part. We pay for everything we own. While in America, I can own an iPhone just by walking into a store to say I want one, in Nigeria, you pay cash. While I can own a Range Rover by walking into a car shop with good credit, in Nigeria, I must cough up N500m to take one home.

Hey guys, we are now home to the biggest refinery in the world. We have a stable currency. We are building a 700-mile coastal highway. We are meeting our loan obligations.

Hear Mama Osato—“me I like president Tinubu. If no be kidnapping—we for don take off. No country go fit catch us.”

Worry not, my friends. Kidnapping will soon be history. FG is not sleeping.
State police is coming.

PROGRESS IN EDO STATE.

In Edo State, anyone who drives towards Ikpoba hill and sees the 1-mile long bridge that’s over 60 percent complete must feel a sense of pride. I was amazed at the extent of work that has been done there.
Kudos to Akpakomiza. And, it’s not even one year yet.

The Governor says there’s more to come with his promised Agricultural Revolution. Get your popcorns and your lager beer ready.

SAD NEWS.

A prominent architect from Edo State was reported to have died in a fire last weekend. Everyone that called in to Egogonews to confirm the story had so many nice things to say about Architect Ben Ikimi.
It is a sad day in Edo State. It is a sad day in Igueben.
It is a sad day for his family and friends.
Can the government make it mandatory that every new home constructed must have a smoke detector installed in every room? It will save lives. No fire begins without smoke. The smoke makes people unconscious before the fire does its final damage. May his memory be blessed.

The South African ambassador to France was said to have jumped
off a building a few days ago. Who rents a hotel room at the 22nd floor, just so that they can then jump? Did he have some unfinished business with the Russians?

Talking about Russians, one can only hope that Putin is watching what is unfolding in Gaza.
Putin is a big boy. The war in Ukraine has greatly diminished his country’s standing in the same way that Vietnam diminished America.
China now dominates Russia.

In which world?

Russia needed help from North Korea to drive Ukraine out of Russian territory.

In which world?

Putin may need to stop this war by a unilateral cessation of hostilities, withdraw his troops, and laser focus on re-establishing Russia as not just a military Superpower, but also, an economic Superpower. Putin can pivot and be to his country what Deng Zhao Ping was to China—-a brain trust for economic development

Right now, Russia does not look like a superpower.

Until we see again next week, goodbye and goodluck.